Junior Player Spotlight: Joshua Dolinsky, John McEnroe Tennis Academy

Earning a Gold Ball at the USTA Championships is a milestone that any junior tennis player from the United States aims to reach. And last  summer, Brooklyn native Joshua Dolinsky headed down to Alabama in search of just that at the USTA Clay Court Championships. But instead of coming home with just one Gold Ball, Dolinsky won two, capturing the titles in the Boys 14s singles and pairing with Kensho Ford of California to win the Boys 14s doubles title.

“I felt pretty good heading into the tournament. My initial goal was to reach the quarterfinals or semifinals, and then just give it my all and see what I could do from there,” Dolinsky said.

Dolinsky did indeed give it his all, and as the fourth-seed in a singles draw that began with more than 250 players, he won three consecutive three-set matches in the Round of 16, quarterfinals and semifinals en route to the final. He came back from a set down in the semifinals before rolling 6-3, 6-1 in the championship match to win the Gold Ball. As a result, he moved into the top spot nationally in the Boys 14s division.

To battle through three straight matches that went the distance is a difficult task, especially in the summer heat, and that fight is what Dolinsky was most proud of in his performance.

“I liked how I persevered, and I was just proud of myself both mentally and physically,” he said. “One of my main focuses is to give it my all every match. My game plan for the whole tournament was not giving up any free points, and fighting for everything. And I never gave up.”

Dolinsky’s mentality has been that way ever since he began taking tennis seriously. He was born into a tennis-playing family, as his aunt helped lead Louisiana State University to a NCAA Championship when she was a collegiate player. She was part of his inspiration to get into the sport, and while he played soccer like a lot of young kids growing up, tennis was always his passion.

“I started practicing a little bit, and it just stuck with me,” he recalls. “I just enjoyed it a lot, and wanted to keep working on my game. I played soccer a little bit, but just for fun. Tennis was always my main priority.”

With his focus squarely on tennis, Dolinsky began training at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy (JMTA) at SPORTIME Randall’s Island when he was 10-years-old. It’s there, through the club’s training, that Dolinsky’s game began to really take off. He works primarily with Ion Efrim, JMTA’s Senior Associate Director, and together the two have forged a successful coach-student partnership.

And his winning ways have continued, as he has racked up titles at an L4 in Matawan, New Jersey and an L3 title in South Bend, Indiana, all culminating in a fantastic 2025 season for Dolinsky.

“JMTA has helped me a lot. The training there is really good, and Ion pushes me very well,” Dolinsky explains. “He is great at identifying specific things to work on after watching my matches, and then we are able to fine tune those things when we get back on the practice court. For example, at the moment I am trying to improve on making my game more offensive, taking time away from my opponent and putting more pressure on them.”

And JMTA provides the perfect environment for him to continue to work on that, as he trains with many other top juniors, and oftentimes with players older than him. As someone who often competes in older age divisions, this setting allows him to become used to battling against players who may currently be physically bigger and stronger than he is.

He is a player with an extremely high tennis IQ, and as he continues to grow into his body, Dolinsky’s tennis game will only round out even more.

“I can still get stronger so I can compete with older players. Basically everyone I play with at JMTA is older than me, which helps me play freer sometimes because there’s not much for me to lose so I can try to put my best game out there,” he admits. “But I move the ball around really well, and have really good court vision. I can anticipate and see what my opponent wants to do before it comes to me.”

Efrim added:

“Josh is a very interesting tennis player. His way of seeing the game and understanding our sport is very unique and special. His tennis IQ is off the charts and that sets him apart from the rest of his peers. I enjoy watching him compete as he knows how to win a match even when he is not playing his best. He is a great competitor.”

Dolinsky is in his third year attending online schooling, which has allowed him to spend more time on the tennis court and traveling to tournaments. All of this work has culminated in Dolinsky being one of the best players his age, not just in the Eastern Section, but in the country. According to TennisRecruiting, Dolinsky is the second-ranked player in New York, and sixth-nationally, with a UTR of 11.

“Getting to play at John McEnroe Tennis Academy and being able to practice with and be around a legend like John McEnroe has inspired me,” he said. “The coaching staff, including my coach, Ion, Coach Richard Mensing Jr., and many other coaches, have put in a lot of effort to help me. I’m very grateful and excited to keep working hard. The work doesn’t stop here because there is so much more that we can accomplish together.”

And while climbing up the rankings and winning tournaments is obviously a goal of his, Dolinsky has changed his outlook to not focus solely on results or where he finds himself on any given ranking list. It’s about putting in the work, and continuing to improve.

“I think I have been focusing more on the process, whereas before I was focused a bit too much on my ranking and all that,” said Dolinsky. “But now I understand much more that it’s all about the process. I’m just motivated to do even more, and get better.”

That process will help Dolinsky achieve his main goals, which are to go to a top Division I school and eventually play professionally. In the interim, when he isn’t collecting trophies, he enjoys collecting sports cards, as well as playing sports with his friends, similar to many teenagers.

As he looks back on the Gold Balls he won back in July, Dolinsky remains proud of that accomplishment, but remains steadfast on his desire to continue building upon that success. With Efrim and the entire JMTA team in his corner, the future is bright for the Brooklyn native.

“Josh has tremendous potential, especially since his body is nowhere near developed yet,” Efrim said. “The goal is to get him physically stronger, so that he can compete against older and better players. That will enhance his tennis abilities, and will really help him maximize his immense potential.”